Protective garment packed in sealed pouch wherein partial vacuum is drawn

ABSTRACT

For a person, such as a firefighter, a rescue worker, or a chemical or laboratory worker, who is preparing to work in a hazardous environment, a pack is prepared by providing a pouch, which is sealable so as to be fluid-tight, by packing a protective garment in the pouch, by sealing the pouch so as to be fluid-tight after the protective garment has been packed in the pouch so as to protect the protective garment against contamination before the pouch is opened, and by drawing a partial vacuum in the pouch so as to collapse the pouch against what has been packed in the pouch, when the pouch is sealed, thus not only to reduce overall bulkiness of the pack but also to provide evidence, if there is a perceptible loss of the partial vacuum, that the pouch has been tampered with or that the pouch has been opened. Other gear of diverse types may be packed with the protective garment.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention pertains to a novel pack having a protectivegarment, which is packed in a sealed pouch wherein which a partialvacuum is drawn, whereby to provide evidence, if there is a perceptibleloss of the partial vacuum, that the pouch has been tampered with orthat the pouch has been opened.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Commonly, when working in a hazardous environment, which may beoxygen-deficient or which may expose occupants to chemical or biologicaltoxins, pathogens, or other hazards, a firefighter, a rescue worker, ora chemical or laboratory worker wears a protective garment, which ismade from sheets of fluid-impervious films or from sheets offluid-impervious fabrics. Such protective garments are exemplified inU.S. Pat. No. 4,272,851, No. 4,864,654, and No. 6,364,980, whichdisclose suitable films, fabrics, and laminates and the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,654, it is known for aworker wearing a protective garment, as described above, to wear aself-contained breathing apparatus, which comprises an air bottle, amongother elements, and all elements of which are worn within the protectivegarment. Further, it is known for a worker wearing a protective garment,as described above, also to wear other gear of diverse types, asexemplified by gloves, dosimeters, and breathing apparatus.

[0004] Usually, after having been used in hazardous environments,protective garments made from sheets of fluid-impervious films areregarded as disposable and are not cleaned, decontaminated, orreconditioned. In any event, a person preparing to be in a hazardousenvironment needs to don a protective garment that is new or that hasbeen cleaned, decontaminated, and reconditioned properly, not aprotective garment that has been used before either in a hazardousenvironment or in a training environment but that has not been cleaned,decontaminated, and reconditioned properly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] This invention provides, for a person preparing to be in ahazardous environment, a pack comprising a protective garment and apouch, in which the protective garment is packed and which is sealedafter the protective garment has been packed in the pouch so as toprotect the protective garment against contamination before the pack isopened. Other gear may be packed with the protective garment. A partialvacuum is drawn so as to collapse the pouch against what has been packedin the pouch, when the pouch is sealed, thus not only to reduce overallbulkiness of the pouch and what has been packed in the pouch but also toprovide evidence, if there is a perceptible loss of the partial vacuum,that the pack has been tampered with or that the pack has been opened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective, frontal view of a personwearing a protective garment and other gear, which includes breathingapparatus.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, perspective, partially broken away viewof a pack according to this invention and comprising a sealed pouch, inwhich the protective garment has been packed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

[0008] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a person is wearing a protectivegarment 10, which is made predominantly from any suitable film, fabric,or laminate, such as a laminate of non-woven, spun-bonded olefin andpolyethylene, e.g. TYVEK™ material, along with other gear includinggloves 20 and including self-contained breathing apparatus 30. FIG. 1 isadapted from FIG. 1 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/151,390,which was filed on May 20, 2002, for SHEET WITH ELASTOMERIC GROMMET TOPROVIDE FLUID-IMPERVIOUS SEAL AROUND OBJECT PENETRATING SHEET, which isassigned commonly herewith, and the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

[0009] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the protective garment 10 has beenpacked in a pouch 40, which is made from any suitable film, fabric, orlaminate, such as the laminate noted in the preceding paragraph, andwhich is sealable along all edges (e.g. the edge 50) of the pouch 40that are not folded, in a known manner as by heat sealing or adhesively,so as to be fluid-tight. Further, the pouch 30 has been sealed so as tobe fluid-tight after the protective garment 10 has been packed in thepouch 40, possibly with the gloves 20, with elements of the breathingapparatus 30, and with other gear, so as to protect the protectivegarment 10 and whatever else has been packed in the pouch 40, againstcontamination before the pouch 40 is opened. Further, a partial vacuumhas been drawn in the pouch 40, in a known manner when the pouch 40 issealed, so as to collapse the pouch 40 against what has been packed inthe pouch 40.

[0010] Drawing of the partial vacuum serves not only to reduce overallbulkiness of the pouch 40 and what has been packed in the pouch 40 andto protect what has been packed in the pouch 40 against exposure toozone and other environmental conditions but also to provide evidence toa person preparing to be in a hazardous environment and planning to donthe protective garment 10 and to use whatever else has been packed inthe pouch 40, if there is a perceptible loss of the partial vacuum, thatthe pouch 40 has been tampered with or that the pouch 40 has beenopened.

1. For a person preparing to be in a hazardous environment, a packcomprising a protective garment and a pouch, in which the protectivegarment is packed, which is sealed so as to be fluid-tight after theprotective garment has been packed in the pouch so as to protect theprotective garment against contamination before the pouch is opened, andin which a partial vacuum is drawn so as to collapse the pouch againstwhat has been packed in the pouch, when the pouch is sealed, thus notonly to reduce overall bulkiness of the pouch and what has been packedin the pouch but also to provide evidence, if there is a perceptibleloss of the partial vacuum, that the pouch has been tampered with orthat the pouch has been opened.
 2. The pack of claim 1 wherein othergear is packed with the protective garment.
 3. A method to prepare apack for a person preparing to be in a hazardous environment, the methodcomprising steps of providing a pouch, which is sealable so as to befluid-tight, packing a protective garment in the pouch, sealing thepouch so as to be fluid-tight after the protective garment has beenpacked in the pouch so as to protect the protective garment againstcontamination before the pack is opened, and drawing a partial vacuum inthe pouch so as to collapse the pouch against what has been packed inthe pouch, when the pouch is sealed, thus not only to reduce overallbulkiness of the pouch and what has been packed in the pouch but also toprovide evidence, if there is a perceptible loss of the partial vacuum,that the pouch has been tampered with or that the pouch has been opened.4. The method of claim 3 wherein other gear is packed with theprotective garment.